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In this sequel to The Disappeared, Kristine Kathryn Rusch's moon-based detectives are back. Prickly, bull-headed detective Noelle DeRicci is in the doghouse with her police superiors again, so she gets the latest assignment that nobody wants -- a fatal accident at the moon marathon.

Although most Armstrong dome residents think that only crazies would want to run twenty-six miles across the treacherous lunar landscape in an environment suit, the annual marathon represents a tourist bonanza for the lunar colony. So when DeRicci is sent to investigate, she is supposed to clear up the accident as quickly and quietly as possible. Instead, she discovers a murder that must have been committed by a marathon organizer, and can only be properly investigated if she holds everyone associated with the marathon for questioning.

Meanwhile, DeRicci's former partner, Miles Flint, meets the first client for his new business as a Retrieval Artist (a specialized private detective). The client wants to track down Frieda Tey, a renegade scientist who disappeared ten years ago after releasing a deadly virus which killed hundreds of people. Flint doesn't know whether Tey was a remorseless murderer or a victim of circumstance, and he doesn't trust the client who wants to locate her, so he's got a very bad feeling about taking the case. But he may have no choice. If the Tey Virus is released in Armstrong dome, millions could die.

This is a brief outline of a very tightly plotted, suspenseful novel that kept me eagerly turning pages right to the end. Rusch's previous DeRicci book, The Disappeared, was competent, and this sequel is even better. Rusch's cast is all good, with a stand-out villain -- think of an intelligent and chillingly persuasive cross between a mad scientist and Ayn Rand. It's a particularly impressive portrayal, given that the villain doesn't step on stage until almost the last chapter, so her portrait is entirely drawn second hand through other characters.

Rusch also clearly knows a lot about the marathon subculture and the psychology of extreme runners. That, plus just the right amount of technical and forensic detail give her moon setting an air of sweaty verisimilitude.

I'd recommend this book to just about anybody. Extremes is an entertaining read, with a thought-provoking undercurrent about the perils of social Darwinism.

Donna McMahon discovered science fiction in high school and fandom in 1977, and never recovered. Dance of Knives, her first novel, was published by Tor in May, 2001, and her book reviews won an Aurora Award the same month. She likes to review books first as a reader (Was this a Good Read? Did I get my money's worth?) and second as a writer (What makes this book succeed/fail as a genre novel?). You can visit her website at http://www.donna-mcmahon.com/.